New forums

For new members to find solution to their AL questions, the General Discussion forum is getting quite full with varity of topics thereby getting difficulties to find what they need. PhpBB seach engine is good but the topics overlap too much. I suggest to add few more forums focusing on particular subjects.

Re: New forums

Thanks AL moderator for adding new forums. To activate them, I suggest, you move some of the good topics what are relevant to the new forums from the General Discussion forum.

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beniro wrote:

How about making a forum for more universal Linux questions/New bie help. It would keep newer-bies (like myself) from overrunning the main forums and would give them a place to make their questions, whether thay are answered or not.

What I understand from earlier discussions about the aim of AL will not focus on newbies but advance users. To run a newbie list is not easy when most newbie users come from Windows wanting an easy Linux GUI environments. What I though would like AL to become, to focus on users between newbies and advance instead of developers only.

We may say AL is doing this indirectly with the help of this forum, but there is still work to be done beside this forum. The topic "Why isn't AL more popular" http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=127 describes what I am here trying to say.

In my opinion, for AL to broaden it's user levels, attract other users than developers, it requires either a good default kernel and stable packages setup running without further config on basic i686 machines with common multimedia and internet connection, or a comprehensive documentation. The latter idea is more appropriate for AL thereby enable it to maintain its fast, lightweight, flexible and simple system. On topic FAQ http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=75 someone is already working on it. Moreover the Documentation Discussion forum is quite active. The pre-FAQ webiste address: http://archlinux.veloxis.de/

Re: New forums

I agree, but people are going to arrive asking stupid questions. Give them a forum for them and at least they won't get in the way. Giving them a forum doesn't cost the developers extra work, since they don't HAVE to answer any questions.

And I'm sure there are some Arch users who are just chompin at the bit to ease newbie's into Arch.

Really, what I'm saying is that giving newbie's their own forum is not necessarily condoning their existence.... LOL

Re: New forums

beniro wrote:

And I'm sure there are some Arch users who are just chompin at the bit to ease newbie's into Arch. Really, what I'm saying is that giving newbie's their own forum is not necessarily condoning their existence.... LOL

I see your point.... I have also been a newbie . Moreover, I am more a newbie supporter than advance because I am interested in promoting Linux. I will also be happy if AL adds a newbie forum. If not, then lets hope once the FAQ page is ready or when the AL documentation is upgraded, will do the job.

I remember Gentoo Linux had the same question focusing on advance users only but made it for all users with a well designed documentation and upholding an active support forum.

Re: New forums

This is what newbies and "semi-advance" users want when installing a new Linux distro first time. The intallation manual provides a step-by-step guidance. No doubt, Gentoo's manual is a bit overhelming (too much for my taste) but does the job. AL's manual will certainly be much simplier. For my own use, I have made my own "setp-by-step" manual what I am using when installing AL on different machines among my friends. Maybe I should post it here?

Next steps of support is a forum divided into particular subjects. And then having active members answering questions regarless of user interest. In this regard AL is already doing well. Take a look at Gentoo's forum system:http://forums.gentoo.org/

I am not here trying to copy Gentoo Linux but suggest basic ideas to avoid re-inventing the "wheel" .